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NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Race #1 |
Florida Dodge Dealers 250
Daytona International Speedway
Friday
February 18, 2005
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The first day of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series testing in preparation for the Feb. 18 Florida Dodge Dealers 250 under the lights at historic Daytona International Speedway was rained out on Saturday. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series are scheduled to test on Sunday from 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. The test is free and open to the public with access to the Oldfield Grandstand through the lobby of DAYTONA USA.
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Bobby Hamilton Racing announces sponsorship with Bailey’s Cigarettes as the primary sponsor on two trucks from the BHR stable for the 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. The current NCTS Champion’s No. 4 Dodge will adorn the logos from Bailey’s as a primary sponsor for 12 races. Rookie Timothy Peters will drive the No. 04 Dodge for Bailey’s for 11 races. And Nashville, Tennessee native Casey Atwood will also drive the No. 04 Dodge with Bailey’s as a primary sponsor for three events this season.
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On tap for Sunday ...
With the loss of Saturday’s opening session of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Preseason Thunder to inclement weather, teams will see a 12-hour day on Sunday – including practice under the lights. Track hours are 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., weather permitting. The night practice, which wasn’t on the original schedule, will enable crew chiefs to ready their trucks for the Feb. 18 Florida Dodge Dealers 250, set for an 8 p.m. EDT start on SPEED Channel and the affiliates of MRN Radio and XM Satellite radio.
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On a day more suited for ducks than trucks,
Bobby Hamilton’s
sponsorship announcement made the biggest splash of the day. Hamilton announced a partial season sponsorship with Bailey’s, a tobacco company based in Virginia, and unveiled a sharp looking blue and fluorescent yellow color scheme for 2005. Hamilton, the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion, also announced that
Timothy Peters
will take the wheel of a Bailey’s sponsored No. 04 Dodge out of the BHR stable starting at Martinsville. (TruckSeries.com Photo)
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Mother Nature frowned mightily on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series as rain washed out the first day of the planned two-day Pre-Season Thunder testing sessions at Daytona International Speedway. A brief sprinkle in the mid-morning left the speedway damp, and a persistent rain around 11:30 A.M. forced NASCAR and track officials to cancel the day’s on-track activity. The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Pre-Season Thunder Fan Fest activities planned for this evening are still on-tap, with several drivers expected to be on site to interact with fans.
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Eighteen year-old Justin Allgaier has proven himself as a skilled driver in the ranks of the ARCA RE/MAX Series and on dirt tracks across the country in both open-wheel competition and dirt late model stock cars. This talented young hotshoe will now be part of an impressive Midwestern motorsports tradition in NASCAR. The Springfield, IL, native recently inked a deal with Foristell [MO] based MB Motorsports to align for a limited 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series schedule
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Eager for the first Green Flag that will signal the start of this year's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, David Starr and Spears Motorsports have high hopes for a terrific season. "I can't wait for the season to get underway," smiles Starr with infectious enthusiasm. "I love the holidays and really enjoyed having a couple of weeks to spend with my friends and family. But now I'm ready to get behind the wheel of my Spears Chevy Silverado. We tested at Talladega just before Christmas and again this past week and things are looking good. It is a great place to test and we definitely learned a lot that we will be able to apply to Daytona."
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An accident three hours into Sunday’s rain-plagued Daytona Pre-Season Thunder Test has ended the session early for three-time series champion Jack Sprague and last year’s Daytona pole winner Terry Cook. Also involved in the accident was Ted Musgrave, who has a second truck at his disposal and will continue with the test later this evening. (TruckSeries.com Photo)
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Rick Crawford, driver of the No. 14 Ford F-150, took some time during a rain delay in testing for next month’s Craftsman Truck Series season-opener to discuss the off-season changes to his team and the upcoming year. Crawford, the 2003 Daytona 250 race winner, is teamed with veteran crew chief Kevin “Cowboy” Starland for the 2005 season with the hopes that the driver/crew chief combination can return the team to a top-10 finish in the point standings.
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David Starr driver of the No. 75 Spears Racing Silverado and crew chief Dave McCarty discussed upcoming NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. “I am honored to be a part of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and a part of Spears Manufacturing. It’s a dream come true to be representing Chevrolet Silverado in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. One thing about Chevy racing they are used to winning races and I want to make sure we continue their winning ways.”
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Rain has postponed all on-track activity for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Daytona International Speedway. Saturday testing was canceled completely; Sunday testing is on weather delay. NASCAR announced they would continue testing for the NCTS on Monday, January 17, 2005. Former NCTS champions Jack Sprague and Ron Hornaday came to the infield media center for media Q & A. Hornaday: “While it is boring for, it has actually been a good opportunity for me to get to know the guys on my crew just a little better. We have been sitting around in the transporter kidding around and talking about this and that. Anytime you get away from the shop and spend time with your guys on the road, you learn more about one another and get a chance to know the characteristics of each of the guys and they get to know me.
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Defending NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Bobby Hamilton announced Saturday that Bailey’s Cigarettes will sponsor two of his trucks in 2005. The company will sponsor Hamilton’s No. 4 Dodge in 12 races, while rookie Timothy Peters will drive the No. 04 Dodge out of the BHR shop in 11 races with Bailey’s as the primary sponsor. Casey Atwood will drive the No. 04 Bailey’s Dodge Ram in three events.
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Fastest of the day: Dennis Setzer driving the No. 46 Chevrolet was the fastest during Sunday's test session that featured drafting sessions. Setzer posted a lap of 189.163 mph in his Chevrolet Silverado.
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“We are pretty happy with our Chevrolet Silverado. The speed was there all along, we have been fast but we had to try a few things to get it to handle in the draft. We had a goal when we came down here was to learn as much as we could about what we needed to do in February without hurting our truck. We accomplished what we needed to this afternoon and tonight so we are going to load up and head back to North Carolina. Then we will take this information to Talladega for one more test to tweak things a little more before practice starts down here before the race."
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It was a full two days of testing for the Orleans Racing team as they prepared to attack Daytona for the February 18th Florida Dodge Dealers 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season opener. The goals of the Orleans Racing’s two entries, the #62 which is driven by Steve Park and the #77 that’s driven by Brendan Gaughan, were diverse as the two entries will come to Florida in February under two completely different sets of circumstances. Explaining the goals of the Orleans Daytona test session the team’s interim general manager and driver of the #77 Dodge, Brendan Gaughan said, “We’re testing with two teams and the two of them kind of have different philosophies."
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Chad Chaffin, No. 30 Germain / Arnold Racing Toyota Tundra: "I am just tickled to death to be with Germain / Arnold Racing for the upcoming season. This weekend was our first chance to work together and I think things have gone extremely well. Mike Hillman has put together a very impressive group of guys here and this is going to be a fun year."
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Although it took longer than expected to get on track due to rain, once Ricky Craven and Todd Kluever hit the high-banks of Daytona the Roush teammates knew their trucks would be tough competition. Both drivers spent Sunday evening and most of Monday preparing their trucks for the season-opening race of the Craftsman Truck Series. "We made a lot of progress working on how the truck drives," said Craven, driver of the No. 99 Superchips Ford F-150. "We ran about 100 laps on Monday alone. We made some really good changes to the truck from Sunday to Monday that took some time but they were well worth it. I think we learned a lot about the truck.
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Shige Hattori, No. 9 Germain/Arnold Toyota Tundra: “Today was my first drafting experience in NASCAR and also in the Toyota Tundra race truck. When I drove in the IRL we drafted, but this is totally different. The speed is slow compared to driving over 200mph in an open wheel car. The skills I learned in the IRL have helped me here because we raced side by side there as well. I was able to make enough laps on the track to pick out the bumps and get a feel of the grooves. It will be a big help for next month in February for the race.”
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NASCAR will institute a new procedure for setting the starting lineups for the Gatorade Duel at Daytona scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 17 at Daytona International Speedway, NASCAR officials announced. The two qualifying races that establish the starting line-up for the Feb. 20 Daytona 500 will feature changes to the procedure of assigning cars to the respective qualifiers, which have been extended from 125 to 150 miles beginning this season.
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Fox Unveils High-Definition Racing; Speed Channel Debuts Nascar Nation
Fresh off the inaugural Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup, the family of FOX Sports Networks opens the 2005 NASCAR racing season with comprehensive coverage of Daytona Speed Weeks, highlighted by the 47th running of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. ET (pre-race coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET) on FOX. For the first time, FOX will broadcast this year's coverage of the Great American Race in 720p high-definition pictures with Dolby 5.1 audio...
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Speedweeks Telecast Schedule February 11th to 20th, 2005
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When Carl Edwards captured the inaugural nighttime running of the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race during Speedweeks 2004 at Daytona International Speedway, he parked his No. 99 Superchips Ford on the start/finish line and treated the crowd with his traditional back flip and cart wheel. Said Edwards of his first Daytona victory: "We're here. We're at Daytona. I'm standing in Victory Lane. I'm living the dream of every racer on the planet." Edwards, who will make the move to the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series and Busch Series in 2005, is not expected to return on Friday night, Feb. 18 to defend his victory, but there's plenty of new competition on the scene that will fight with the best of the Craftsman Truck Series in the 100-lap, 250-mile race. (NASCAR Images Photo)
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Kevin "Cowboy" Starland, crew chief of the Circle Bar Motel and RV Park Ford F-150 announced the over the wall pit crew for the season opening Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at Daytona. "This team has had a long tradition of quick stops and great work on pit road. We have a lot of new team members, plus NASCAR created a few new wrinkles for pit stops so we've spent the last couple of months trying out different guy's in different spots and we think we've put together a winning combination for race day."
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Racing at Daytona is something every young driver dreams of, and Todd Kluever is no exception. He'll actually get two chances to race during SpeedWeeks since he'll be competing in the Craftsman Truck Series and the ARCA RE/MAX races. It will be his first career start in both divisions. "I've been in Daytona since Monday and I don't get on track until Thursday so I've had a lot of time to think about what I'm about to do," Kluever said. "I knew when I went to North Wilkesboro for the first round of the 'Race for the Ride' that it was going to be my one opportunity to have a shot like this. I was determined not to mess it up.
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He’s won in ARCA, raced in Busch and Nextel Cup and has a last name synonymous with NASCAR – now Kerry Earnhardt is ready for a new challenge. The Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at Daytona International Speedway on the night of Feb. 18 will be Earnhardt’s inaugural debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (Speed TV/MRN Radio, 8 p.m. ET). The 35-year old native of Kannapolis, NC will pilot the No. 15 Kraft Foods Chevrolet of Billy Ballew Motorsports.
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Kelly “Girl” Sutton grew up around race cars and dirt tracks, and decided at an early age that nothing was going to stand in the way of her dream — including a diagnosis of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). She’s raced strong at Daytona, nearly winning in one of her three races with the NASCAR Goody’s Dash Series. Although she missed her first attempt in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series (NCTS) by a mere four-hundredths of a second, her rookie year generated impressive results.
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As the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series kicks off the “10 Years Tough” celebration at Daytona International Speedway, David Reutimann reflects on his debut in the No. 17 NTN Bearings Toyota at the 2.5-mile tri-oval and how tough the division really is. “This year the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series will live up even more to its tough truck racing image,” said Reutimann. “You have former champions like Mike Skinner, Ron Hornaday, Jack Sprague and Bobby Hamilton returning. I’m looking forward to racing with all of those guys. Last year, I was really nervous because I had never raced at Daytona before. This year, I know more of what to expect.”
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With four Dash Series wins at Daytona International Speedway, Robert Huffman’s expectations are nothing short of a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory at the 2.5-mile tri-oval in his No. 12 Toyota Tundra Darrell Waltrip Motorsports entry.
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Three drivers who have tested at Talladega Superspeedway in the past couple of months topped the charts in ARCA RE/MAX Series qualifying today at Daytona International Speedway. In fact, the starting row will be filled by two recent Talladega winners. The third fastest lap was by Todd Kluever who clocked in at 182.508 mph. Kluever will also be the primary driver for the Roush Racing-owned No. 50 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team.
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ThorSport Racing teammates Matt Crafton and Tracy Hines are looking forward to the start of the 2005 Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at Daytona International Speedway to
continue the momentum both have built leading up to the drop of the season’s first green flag. Crafton, who returns to the seat of the team’s No. 88 Menards Chevrolet this season, looks to maintain the pace he set last year en route to a fifth-place finish in 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points. Hines, who takes over the reins of the team’s No. 13 Chevrolet, looks to continue a streak of top-5 finishes he has accumulated in his open wheel cars, including a win in the 19th Annual Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in January. “It’s a great feeling to be back home with the ThorSport team,” Crafton said. (High Sierra Photo)
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Video!
As part of NASCAR's celebration of Black History Month and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Diversity initiatives, two students from the Urban Youth Racing School will be presented with The UYRS/XBOX Points Championship Trophies during pre-race ceremonies prior to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, Feb. 18, 2005. The presentation will be broadcast live on Speed Channel at 8PM EST. The students will be given a trophy and will serve as honorary crewmembers for Craftsman Truck Series teams during the race.
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“We now have my old buddy Ron Hornaday as a member of our Chevrolet Team Silverado. Not only does that add to the competition on the track, but also increases the experience and knowledge of racing in the NCTS and gives the Chevrolet engineers and support team more resources to keep building our factory program." - Jack Sprague
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Casey Atwood back in the saddle: “I am excited about making my second career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start with Bobby Hamilton Racing at Daytona. I have some fond memories of racing at Daytona and I hope to add another one this weekend. We tested here in January and learned a lot about the Bailey’s Dodge. The guys have worked hard at the shop correcting the problems we found and made it better. I know we will be good in the draft. I feel we may surprise some people. There is no other competitor I would rather have as a drafting partner than Bobby. It is an honor to be on the same track with him.” (NASCAR Images Photo)
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The official Entry List for the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at Daytona International Speedway, the first race of the 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season features 42 Chevy, Dodge, Ford and Toyota trucks.
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“Every chance we get to show the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series to new fans, it is a bonus for us. A lot of people really rally around the Nextel Cup level, but often say I watch the Craftsman Truck Series to see real racing. Once upon a time our series was built on tough trucks beating and banging on each other and we have lived up to that reputation. I wish everyone would watch one event, and then they would be hooked."
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“I am going into the Dodge Dealers 250 with great expectations. Most racers don’t look forward to racing at Daytona because of the draft, but I love it. It is my favorite track we currently race on. The atmosphere surrounding this weekend at Daytona would make anyone a race fan. I will only be making my second career NCTS start at Daytona and I have to keep reminding myself to go into the race with an open mind."
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Truck racing’s second decade unfolds in Florida …
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is “10 Years Tough” and counting down to its 250th race later this spring at Dover International Speedway. The Florida Dodge Dealers 250 marks the 243rd event and ninth consecutive season in which the season-opening race has been held in the Sunshine State. The 2005 season is the first in which four former champions – Skinner, Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 6 GM Goodwrench Chevrolet), Jack Sprague (No. 16 Chevy Trucks Chevrolet) and Bobby Hamilton (No. 04 Lufkin Pro Series Dodge) – have battled for the championship. Hamilton is the defending champion while Hornaday returns fulltime to the series for the first time since 1999.
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“We tested our Superchips Ford F-150 1,100 miles at Talladega and Daytona this winter and we spent most of it in race trim. The whole point in doing that is that we’ll benefit more from duplicating race conditions than worrying about qualifying. That may catch up with us on qualifying day, but it will certainly pay off on race day."
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“We tested our Superchips Ford F-150 1,100 miles at Talladega and Daytona this winter and we spent most of it in race trim. The whole point in doing that is that we’ll benefit more from duplicating race conditions than worrying about qualifying. That may catch up with us on qualifying day, but it will certainly pay off on race day."
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Jason Rudd, nephew of NASCAR Nextel Cup Series veteran Ricky Rudd, is seeking his uncle’s advice in preparation for his debut in the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at Daytona International Speedway on February 18.
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Dennis Setzer is anticipating great things in his fifth season as the driver for Morgan Dollar Motorsports in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. After two straight runner-up finishes in the NCTS season-ending point standings, the series’ veteran and the No. 46 Chevrolet Silverado team are poised to again be one of the top contenders for the coveted championship trophy. Setzer posted impressive stats in 2004 as he battled for the championship with two wins bringing his NCTS career total to 12. He claimed eight top-five and 16 top-ten finishes with a remarkable average 10th place finishing position at the conclusion of the 25-race season.
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Brad Keselowski will make his first career start at the historic Daytona International Speedway Friday night in the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 driving his No. 29 SUBcrews.com Ford F-150. Keselowski, who recently turned 21 years old, will compete in his family’s K Automotive Motorsports truck hoping to continue their streak of top ten finishes at the famed speedway.
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This will be the fifth race at Daytona International Speedway for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS). There will be nine Toyota Tundras in the field. Last year, Toyota made its NCTS debut in the season-opener at Daytona with seven Tundras in the starting line-up. Two Tundra drivers recorded top-10 finishes in Toyota’s inaugural race. Travis Kvapil crossed the finished line second, just .141-seconds behind race-winner Carl Edwards, and David Reutimann finished ninth. Toyota’s second season in the NCTS will feature an expanded line-up featuring nine drivers and five teams that will challenge for the Manufacturers’ and the Drivers’ Championships.
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"I am really anxious to get things underway with my new team - Germain / Arnold Racing. I have been given a tremendous opportunity and I look to capitalize on it. This #30 team proved how strong it was last year with two wins and I think I established myself as a strong contender in this series with two wins of my own. It is also pretty neat to be representing and working with a manufacturer such as Toyota. They have put a huge effort into this Craftsman Truck Series and I want to be a big part of their future success."
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The sport of racing is heavily driven by sponsorship that is necessary to compete. Given that, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Deborah Renshaw and her BHR2 team proudly announce that Easy Care Vehicle Service Contracts (Dealer Performance Group) has come on board as primary sponsor of their No. 8 DODGE truck.
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New Mexico native J.R. Patton will make his Daytona debut with MB Motorsports for the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) race Feb. 18th. Patton ran seven races last year with Fiddle Back Racing and is looking forward to a strong finish in the 2005 NCTS season opener.
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“I am really excited and proud of being the first Japanese driver to attempt to race in Daytona - it is a little weird, as I don't think about the Japanese part, just the winning. I have a lot of experience just not in this series. Honestly, I just want to win. I hope to be just judged by my performance on the racetrack not just by my nationality.”
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“It is quite awesome to be part of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series especially with it being in its tenth year. I am really happy that Craftsman is a part of all of this otherwise there may not be a truck series. It has given a lot of drivers like me an opportunity to be a part of NASCAR. Putting our Chevrolet Silverado in victory lane at Daytona would be just unbelievable it is hard to describe. All the greats and all the legends have won at Daytona."
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Steve Park came off the 2004 NCTS season on a roll, and has been ready to get racing again since the season finale’ at Homestead. Perhaps Park’s one of the few that actually though that the “off-season” was about five weeks too long. Park will roll the familiar colors of the #62 Orleans Dodge here at Daytona, the very same ones that were displayed on his Orleans Dodge Ram in 2004, where he finished 9th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series point standings.
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OTW Racing has not been able to secure a sponsor in time to attend Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway as originally planned, however most of their crew will be participating in all three of NASCAR'S racing series'. Crew members will be going over the wall for several different teams in each series but not together as a complete crew.
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Gaughan rejoins the series where he enjoys to race, the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Gaughan makes his first run of an 18-race 2005 schedule with new to the Craftsman Truck Series sponsor, Jasper Engines and Transmissions. Gaughan readied his famous Lonestar Dodge Ram for competition here at Daytona. The truck made four consecutive stops in victory lane at Texas Motor Speedway over the 2002 and 2003 seasons. The Florida sun showcases the bright yellow #77 Dodge Ram that Gaughan will be driving throughout the year. The yellow is unique to the Jasper family, and stands out in both bright sun and under the lights.
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AUDIO!
The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series kicked off its 2005 season in grand style here in Daytona and after the race, TrackSideLive! sat down with Bobby Hamilton and talked about one of the most exciting races in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series History.
Click here to listen.
Also, check out the
TrackSideLive!
coverage of the race for more audio and interviews.
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The Circle Bar Truck Corral Team ended months of work and preparation with its first official practice for the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at Daytona International Speedway. Rick Crawford wheeled the new Circle Bar retro paint scheme onto the high banks of Daytona and posted the 4th fastest time of the day at 191.03 MPH. Crew chief Kevin "Cowboy" Starland had one word for the first day at Daytona, "Happy".
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“Somewhere between the 15 and the 62 somebody got together and got turned into the wall. Once the 15 truck got into the wall he came back across the track and there was no place to go, man. He came right in front of me. Saturday night in the ARCA race I had the same situation, almost, getting off of two. I saw a car spin and I tried to steer away from them and I got bit there really bad and this time I saw him spinning and I tried to lift and get around him but it bit me here, too.”
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Kerry Earnhardt shook off a crash during Wednesday afternoon practice and drove the backup Billy Ballew Motorsports No. 15 Chevrolet to the pole position for Friday's Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at Daytona International Speedway. Earnhardt's fast lap was 49.321 seconds, which is 182.478 miles per hour around the 2.5-mile tri-oval. Earnhardt damaged his primary truck in a crash late in yesterday's practice when he got loose on the frontstretch and was collected by Todd Kluever. The team had a chance to shake down the backup truck in an early morning practice on Thursday and the team apparently found some speed.
(High Sierra Photo)
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Gaughan: “We felt like the Jasper Dodge Ram would qualify really well, and we think we did. This new qualifying procedure that NASCAR has is a little weird to us. We had to walk a pretty fine line. We had to, one, make sure that it would make the show, but two, make sure it was a good race truck. The main thing was to make sure that the guys who don’t have points didn’t qualify in front of us. But, I think we should be all right."
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Brad Keselowski qualified 13th for tomorrow night’s running of the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at the Daytona International Speedway in his family-owned, SUBcrews.com Ford. Keselowski, who recently turned 21 years-old, will make his first career start on the historic superspeedway, but several test sessions and a strong race truck have given him plenty of confidence heading into the event. “This was a really great lap for us. I knew we were going to be strong enough to get a top-15, but I don’t know that a lot of people really expected me to be able to pull it off."
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Terry Cook: “We knew what we had and we backed up exactly what we ran in practice. You come down here to Speed Weeks with a new format, and half of the people are drafting, two people are doing single-truck runs, and it’s kind of all over the board. We knew exactly what we had and we backed it up exactly. We’re happy with that; maybe we would have liked to pick up a little bit, but we’re pleased with that lap time." Rick Crawford: “We had a little bit of headwind down the back straightway, and the way that we’ve got the Circle Bar Ford geared, we actually lost a little bit of RPMs going down the back straightaway and that hurts your speed. I’d like to be four or five spots ahead of where we are, but we’ll be fine.”
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Shige Hattori in the No. 9 AISIN/AISIN AW Toyota Tundra will become the first Japanese-born driver to compete at Daytona International Speedway in a major NASCAR touring series event. Hattori poured on the power with a time of 49.65 seconds in qualifying. “I am so happy and so proud of the entire Germain/Arnold team,” Shige Hattori said. “Tom (Ackerman), Mike (Hillman) and the rest of the crew have put so much time in the last few weeks. From 7:00 in the morning until way after midnight working to get this truck ready. This run was so awesome and is a whole team effort. My teammate Chad (Chaffin) did just as well. Having both the Germain/Arnold Tundra’s in the top-10 is just awesome.”
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Jack Sprague: “We spent all of our time working on our race setup so this is a very solid qualifying effort for our Chevy Truck Silverado team. The truck felt stable and I am excited about the race tomorrow night. We will draft good with our Chevrolet Silverado teammates. I feel good about how we will all race together tomorrow night.” Tracey Hines: “Our ThorSports Silverado has been good since we unloaded. I am excited cause this is my best ever starting spot in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. We have drafted good in all of our practices so I am really looking forward to the race."
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Bill Lester: “I’m pretty pleased about qualifying tonight. I’m excited -- and optimistic -- about tomorrow night’s race. We were the fastest truck in drafting practice this morning and the truck was very stable. We had the balance we wanted, and there was nothing we could do to make the truck better, so we decided to leave it alone and put the cover on until tonight." Shige Hattori: “I’m very happy with the run. I want to thank Germain/Arnold Racing for giving me an opportunity to be in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and for all their hard work. I also want to thank TRD for a powerful engine. I’m really surprised and very happy. All I can say is – Wow!”
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Sean Murphy: “It was all right. We got involved in the wreck in practice in that drafting accident and kind of hurt our aero a little bit. We set it up more for the race and we were just so loose drafting. We can qualify here and sit on the pole but you can go back just as quick as you sat on the pole. We were loose when we got up in the upper grooves drafting so we figured we’d put a little more downforce in it and tighten it up so it’d be good in the race. We’ve got to start at the back anyway because we did blow a motor.”
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It’s time to rumble. Since Tuesday morning, the events leading up to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Florida Dodge Dealers 250 have been a brew waiting to boil over. Teams have enjoyed perfect weather and they marched through technical inspections, simulated drafting and qualifying runs for Friday race. Enough fooling around, it’s time to race. Pole sitter Kerry Earnhardt, along with fellow front row starter, Dennis Setzer, will lead the 36-truck field on to the 2.5-mile Daytona trioval raceway for 100 laps of action. However, expect Setzer to fall to the back of the field for an engine change prior to qualifying.
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Jimmy Spencer drove to victory lane, but when the trophy was passed out, it was Bobby Hamilton that was declared the victor in a wild Florida Dodge Dealers 250 at Daytona International Speedway. Spencer appeared to initially be leading when the caution flag came out for a multi-truck accident just as the field took the white flag, but a television review sent Hamilton's team to victory lane instead. Hamilton becomes the first driver in the Truck Series' ten-year history to win from the last starting position.
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Murphy finished 24th in the Florida Dodge Dealers 250, his fifth career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start. His best career finish came at Martinsville Speedway in October 2004. “We just had a bad weekend in general. The front suspension came loose in the race. I thought we had a top-five truck. We were running right there with Spencer and Musgrave. We’d draft right there and it would pull up and suck in the draft really, really hard.
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Bodine: “My truck looks like it’s been at a short track. We’re really pleased considering 30 days ago this race team didn’t exist. Everyone has worked real hard to get ready for Daytona and the season in such a short time. I have to especially thank Tom Eldredge (team owner), Tony Furr (team manager) and Gary Showwalter (crew chief). Also, I have to thank Toyota for all their help and hard work in helping us get off to this good start." “The race was pretty incredible. It was my first speedway race in a truck and my first race at Daytona in a truck. They’re a lot harder to driver than a car.”
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Sprague: “Man, I tell ya, that was the smartest race we have ever run. We just rode around in our Chevy Trucks Silverado all night in the back with a group of trucks I knew we could draft well with when it was time to go to the front. We were all set to get the best finish we’ve ever had at Daytona. Chris (Showalter, crew chief) and this entire Chevy Trucks crew worked so hard and we had the best truck a driver could ask for here. Man I hate it for everyone on our team and all the people at Chevrolet that give us such great support for this program. We were headed to the front and had something for them there at the end."
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Hamilton on the exciting finish: “It’s good for business. I’ve put my owner hat on, and it’s good for business. I think the fans enjoyed a finish like that and enjoyed all of the passing. The trucks put a great show on. I’m just enjoying what I do. I don’t want to sit up here and sound like a broken record, but I’m just pretty much enjoying what I’m doing and working for myself. My guys, we didn’t lose a person again this year – this is three years straight. We just have a great little race team. With all of the new sponsors coming on with Lufkin and Bailey’s, with Federated on the other truck."
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Terry Cook and No. 10 Power Stroke Diesel by International race team finished 20th in Friday’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) race at Daytona International Speedway. Cook, who led 14 laps and stayed in the top 10 most of the race, was drafting with a pack of trucks down the backstretch on lap 94 when several drivers checked up on the inside lane. Cook slammed into the truck ahead of him and then was tapped from behind, sending the five-time NCTS winner spinning into the field.
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Brad Keselowski accomplished a very impressive feet in his career-first start at the Daytona International Speedway tonight in the Florida Dodge Dealers 250 by earning a seventh place finish in his No. 29 SUBcrews.com Ford F-150. K Automotive Motorsports had finished in the top ten at every NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Daytona and the youngest Keselowski was able to continue that streak tonight with his seventh place finish.
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With five laps to go in the 100-lap NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Daytona International Speedway, Robert Huffman was forced to settle for a 19th-place finish after his No. 12 Toyota Tundra was collected in a multi-truck accident on the back straightaway.
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Eddie Pearson, catch can man for the No. 46 Morgan Dollar Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado team driven by Dennis Setzer, sustained only bruising to his leg in a pit road incident during the running of the Daytona 250 for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Pearson was struck by the truck of Brad Keselowski who slid through his pit box coming in for a pit stop during the Friday night season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway. Pearson was examined and released by the track infield care center medical staff following the incident.
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